Good afternoon. The US president, Joe Biden, says he has secured an agreement with Israel and Egypt to allow aid delivery of 20 trucks into Gaza to arrive in the coming days.
Following hours of talks with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his war cabinet, Biden said Israel had agreed to allow the opening of the Egypt-Gaza Rafah crossing to deliveries of desperately needed food, water and medical supplies on condition that the humanitarian assistance was not diverted by Hamas for its own use. The UN says Gaza needs at least 100 trucks of aid delivered a day to meet existing needs.
Meanwhile, Britain’s PM, Rishi Sunak, flew to Israel on Wednesday evening for talks with Netanyahu and the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, on Thursday.
• Yesterday’s Afternoon Update email referred to the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital as a “bombing”. This was amended on the version of the update published on the Guardian Australia website, as the cause of the blast was (and remains) disputed. Our reporters have put together this explainer on what we know about the blast.
Top news
Australian ministers say Palestinians are being ‘collectively punished’ | Two federal Australian ministers, Ed Husic and Anne Aly, say Palestinians are being “collectively punished for Hamas’s barbarism”, with Aly suggesting Israel could be investigated over whether it had committed war crimes. Australia has also updated its travel advice for Lebanon to “do not travel”, noting the volatile security situation.
Bridget Archer accuses Dutton of ‘weaponising’ child abuse | The Liberal backbencher, who is a survivor of child sexual abuse, says Peter Dutton’s call for a royal commission into child sexual abuse in Indigenous communities is divisive and inconsistent. A furious Archer told Guardian Australia she would likely support a royal commission if it examined the prevalence of that behaviour in all parts of the community.
Lisa Wilkinson sues Network 10 | The media identity is seeking funds from her former employer, claiming it reneged on an agreement to cover her legal costs in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case.
Tasmanian boy killed in quad bike crash | A 16-year-old boy died in the crash that took place in rural north-west Tasmania. Nine people have been killed in 2023 so far in quad bike incidents.
Queensland LNP abandons support for treaty | The major backflip comes after all 34 LNP MPs supported legislation for a path to treaty in May, which includes a truth-telling inquiry. But the LNP leader, David Crisafulli, today claimed a path to treaty was “not the right way forward” for Queensland.
Melbourne AFL player suspended over positive drug test | Joel Smith has been provisionally suspended after returning a test sample that indicated the presence of cocaine. The test was taken after round 23 on 20 August.
Netflix says password crackdown working | Netflix says it has added 8.8 million new subscribers over the last three months, as it unveiled plans to increase prices. In Australia, prices will remain the same but the basic tier, currently priced at $10.99, will no longer be offered to new and rejoining subscribers from next week, in an effort to push them towards the more expensive “standard” tier, or the cheaper, ad-supported tier.
Full House actor says he was sexually abused as a child | John Stamos has revealed he was abused at the age of 10 or 11, allegedly by a former babysitter. He said “it took me writing a book” to understand the gravity of the alleged incident.
Judge reprimands Trump at fraud trial | A judge warned Donald Trump and others at his New York civil fraud trial to keep their voices down after the former president threw up his hands in frustration and spoke aloud to his lawyers while a witness was testifying against him. The 2024 Republican frontrunner was in court for a second straight day, watching the trial that threatens to upend his real estate empire and his wealthy businessman image.
Full Story
How to continue the fight for Indigenous rights
Widjabul Wia-bal woman Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, the chief executive of the progressive political organisation GetUp, talks about the agenda for Black justice after the referendum and how Australians can continue to support First Nations people. Listen to this 22-minute episode.
What they said …
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“The number of Palestinians that have been killed so far equates to the number of people who lost their lives in 9/11. We don’t see any public landmarks in Australia that have been lit up in red, black, white and green.” – Ed Husic, senior federal minister
In numbers
All six NBN Co executives received an increase in their bonuses last financial year, which the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called a “disgrace” during a cost-of-living crisis. A spokesperson for the communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said NBN Co was responsible for its own remuneration decisions.
Before bed read
The review is in for Paul McCartney’s Australian comeback tour, which is awash with love, Lennon tributes and Beatles medleys.
Five stars – read the review.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: BIRD. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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